Idaho food and beverage

Beware the zealots

January 26, 2009

Wayne Hoffman, former spokesman for the lamentable Bill Sali, has found a few new ways to occupy his time. He's now director of a supposedly nonpartisan free-market think tank and a columnist for the Idaho Statesman. Here's a snip of a guest commentary I did earlier today at NewWest.net regarding Hoffman's new gigs. (I would've sent this straight to the Statesman except another op-ed of mine has been bottled up there for several weeks.)

Few would disagree with the main point of Hoffman’s first column, published Sunday: We ought to have more transparent government spending. Democrats have been calling for that for years, and President Obama is moving ahead to be sure it happens, both for government in general and his proposed American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan in particular.

I’m sure that all Democrats, Republicans and Independents agree with Hoffman’s premise. But Hoffman’s opening paragraph is worth a second thought since it belies the key difference between the two major parties. He wrote:

“I’m one Idaho taxpayer who is delighted that state government is undergoing major surgery. Every time the state adds 6 percent onto the price of the things I buy, I imagine ways I’d spend that money if I were not giving it to the government.”

Every time he spends money, he thinks about that? Clearly, Wayne Hoffman is obsessed with taxes more than your average Idahoan.

Like most people, I just pay the six cents. But every once in a while, when I’m prompted by someone like Hoffman to think about taxes, I don’t think about how I’d spend my tax pennies if I had them all to myself. Instead, I think about how – as Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes famously said - “Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society.”

Read it all over at NewWest.net - and let's plan on keeping a very sharp eye on the, ahem, nonpartisan writer who not six months ago accused the Idaho media of being "shrill news lemmings all marching willingly to a sea of liberalism, filth and innuendo.” - JF

October 02, 2008

Couple of thoughts today - first of course is the VP debate tonight. I know I will be watching from my living room, and I am wondering will Palin be able to answer anything. I mean a real answer and not a talking in circles with a smile and a shrug and tangents. She does claim, that she can look us all in the eye, and say she has the experience to be one old heart beat away from leading the country.

Also something seems to have been coming up more and more, at least with the folks I know - those email forwards. You know the ones, some "facts" that tell you why to not vote for someone, why they are getting their cash from someone bad etc.

I am one of those people that takes a firm stand on not sending or allowing people to send me forwards. I find then time wasters, and often not even true - many not even a small sliver of truth. I am also confident that you will not be struck dead if you break the chain...

That said, an email does come now and again, and it seems often they also come with poor email etiquette. With the addresses of many people showing. In the last week I received two, I hit reply all, point out this is NOT TRUE, and here is a link you should keep handy (snopes.com) and here is a direct link to why your facts are not true. Then I add something like honesty is important, especially when it comes to elections, and the value of every vote.

Now a couple of things tend to happen. One the person stops adding my name to the list of group emails, but very often I will get a direct email back from one of the people on the Reply All - that says:

thank you! these things make me crazy, I appreciate what you did.

Wow thank you for taking the time, to let me know the facts.

or thanks, that was a great reply, mind if I borrow that idea next time I get one of these?

Notice the thank you in each? People want the facts, and very often they know the forwards are not fully true, but they are not sure if they are somewhat true. There are so many ways to make sure that people
have the facts before they vote, and not all of them are debates, or yard signs, or walk and talks.

September 26, 2008

Talk about trickle-down economics: The national financial crisis hit home in Idaho today as Gov. Butch Otter ordered statewide budget hold backs and cautioned all state agencies to reserve another 1.5 percent of their budget for possible further cuts. Jill has more at New West.

Meanwhile, a McClatchy Newspapers article in the Idaho Statesman today noted how Barack Obama wants to provide $25 billion in relief to state and local governments to be used on whatever the states and municipalities need most, along with another $25 billion for public works projects like roads and bridges. Whatever Idaho's share, it would go a long way toward relieving our current budget gaps and infrastructure needs, wouldn't it?

John McCain calls it a gimmick, and of course he of all people should know a gimmick when he sees one. But maybe Otter and his fellow Republicans ought to consider whether voting GOP is the best move this fall, or whether it's time to give Democrats a chance to put the country together again.

September 23, 2008

Idaho Democratic Party executive director Jim Hansen reminds us all at the state party website that the state Republican Party is on record as wanting to abolish the Federal Reserve. A snip: There are few people alive who remember the 1929 stock market crash and the devastating depression that followed. If Idaho Republicans got their way, a crash of similar or greater impact would have happened this month.

It is clear that years of irresponsible lending fueled by Republican economic deregulation policies has accelerated into a dizzying series of near-disasters in the global economy. To put on the brakes and prevent the economy from completely derailing, our government must turn to a tool that Franklin D. Roosevelt created during the Depression: The Federal Reserve.

Read it all here. Jim raises an interesting question: Do Bill Sali, Jim Risch, Mike Simpson, Mike Crapo, Larry Craig, Butch Otter, and other Idaho Republicans actually stand behind this plank in the state GOP platform? Also, isn't it interesting how 1st CD candidate Bill Sali lashed out against the financial market bailout package before he knew anything about it - and now he's having to promise he'll keep an open mind? In complex times like this, we need leaders who think before they talk.

We do not support government bailouts of private institutions. Government interference in the markets exacerbates problems in the marketplace and causes the free market to take longer to correct itself.

I can only imagine the moral confusion that free-market zealots are experiencing this week, as they realize that their black-and-white positions don't work in the modern world.

September 13, 2008

Nothing I can add to this, other than be sure that it's seen by your friends, family, and colleagues who are considering a vote for McCain.

I've also added a new blogroll at right: Sites for Skeptics. It includes Robert Greenwald's Brave New Films, which made this video and many other good ones; FactCheck.org and PolitiFact/Truth-o-Meter, which offer nonpartisan assessments of campaign ads and claims; News Hounds (motto: "We watch Fox News so you don't have to"); Media Matters for America, a progressive group keeping tabs on media coverage; and The Ed Schultz Show, the best common-sense, mainstream Democratic talk radio show out there. (Schultz airs from 4 to 7 p.m. weekdays on AM 630 in Boise and noon to 3 Pacific on KPTQ AM 1230 out of Spokane. Or listen online at any of dozens of stations listed on his website.)

September 10, 2008

I heard about this Sunday (at church, as a matter of fact), and 43rd State Blues had it days ago, but I just now watched Idaho state Sen. Michael Jorgenson attempt to explain "small-town values" to a Comedy Central "reporter" at last week's Republican National Convention. Check it out at New West.

Meanwhile, a year after Larry Craig's career was reduced to a punchline, his attorney today suggested in court "that his foot tapping in an airport men's room may have been protected by the First Amendment right to freedom of speech." There's more at CNN and the AP.

Also from the Republican culture of corruption department, get a load of this breaking report of sex, drugs, and other bad behavior at the federal agency that's supposed to be regulating the oil industry. I'll wait for your jokes in the comments ... they're so obvious ...

To be fair, we'll note here that the period covered in the report is from 2002 to 2006, so Dirk Kempthorne had just arrived on the scene at Interior. Still, this is certain to create headaches for our former gov. According to The New York Times, "The reports portray a dysfunctional organization that has been riddled with conflicts of interest, unprofessional behavior and a free-for-all atmosphere for much of the Bush administration’s watch." More here. And rec this diary at Kos. (And this one, too.)

September 09, 2008

Silly us. We were thinking that Barack Obama and Joe Biden had such compelling personal stories, leadership skills, and proven policy chops that they'd sail to victory, especially over a lackluster opponent who long ago sold his maverick soul to the Bush-Cheney-Rove wing of the GOP. But now, faced with the Dynamic Celebrity Duo of SuperMom and the POW, it appears our wonkish, workmanlike team is slipping in the polls.

This week-old piece by NYU journalism prof Jay Rosen (hat tip to 43rd State Blues and Fort Boise) laid out exactly what the GOP hoped to accomplish with the Sarah Palin pick by reigniting the culture wars, giving the mainstream media a new personality to exalt, and fomenting angst among activist Democrats. And guess what? It seems to be working ... for now. But the magic pixie dust will swiftly turn to rust as voters return our focus to the issues facing our nation. As I wrote in the comments at 43rd State Blues:

There's a reason McCain knew he had to try this sleight-of-hand: He can't win on his record of supporting Bush-Cheney policies 90% of the time. So ... let's NOT be angry. After 10 days of incredulity about the Palin pick, let's unite as Democrats and spend the rest of the campaign focused not on personalities but on **issues**, that is, "the damaged GOP brand" and why Democratic policies and proposals are far more helpful to working families.

Addendum: I wrote most of this post Tuesday afternoon. And now, Tuesday evening, I'm here to say that - if I wasn't quite there earlier today - I am now officially done worrying about Sarah Palin. About 60 people turned up for an Obama meeting here in Boise tonight, and most of them were brand new to the campaign. With the election just eight weeks away, people are tuned in and they're ready to help. You can join in by visiting the Idaho for Obama grassroots site and the campaign's official Idaho page. No matter where you live in Idaho, whether you have an hour or 20 hours a week, you can help be the change we need in America right now.

Update Wednesday morning: Check out this great response from Obama over the latest "phony outrage "from the McPalin campaign.

September 05, 2008

Yo! Props to Jay Smooth from the hip-hop video blog Ill Doctrine for this chill clip. In fact, community organizers have been - well, organizing - since the Republican National Committee dumped on us Wednesday night with not one, not two, but three slams against Barack Obama's early career choice. Here are some of the best reactions, other than the one above:

So, are you thinking you might like to do some organizing of your own this weekend? Here are some ideas:

The LaRocco for Senate campaign is opening its seventh statewide office in Coeur d'Alene from 6 to 8 Pacific tonight. Stop by 408 Sherman Avenue if you're in CdA or nearby. Larry also did a short interview with HBO this afternoon.

A big canvass is planned Saturday morning for Ada County Commissioner candidates Dave Langhorst and Paul Woods. It starts at 9:30 a.m., with a meeting at 12451 W. Abram Dr., Boise, off Cloverdale Road. Contact T.J. Thomson you're interested in helping, contact District 20 chair T.J. Thomson at 559-6010 if you can help.

Idaho for Obama will be registering voters at Art in the Park on Saturday. Click the link for info. Also, Women for Obama are phone banking every Tuesday at state HQ (9th and Jefferson, downtown Boise). Contact chryssa_marie at yahoo dot com if you'd like to help.

More money than time? Congratulations! You can help by donating via ActBlue to a host of Idaho Democratic candidates and causes, including the Idaho Democratic Party and the county parties in Ada, Bonneville, Canyon, Latah, and Twin Falls (all accessible on this page). You can give once or make a monthly pledge. Watch Red State Rebels for a one-stop shopping ActBlue page coming soon to a blog near you.

If you're a Democratic candidate and have upcoming activities or volunteer needs, put 'em in the comments ... and add RSR to your email list to have future events included in these weekend digests.

September 04, 2008

Welcome back to the final night of the Republican National Convention. I'm watching Cindy McCain now, and it's truly notable how much more muted the reception has been for her compared to the raucous reception Sarah Palin received last night. In fact, her biggest applause line by far was when she mentioned Palin. Of course, that may have something to do with Cindy's interview with CBS News indicating that she supports Roe v Wade and sex education - and hinting that her husband may not be a zealot on the abortion issue, either. Consider this more fodder for the theory that McCain was pushed into this pick by a GOP base that threated to abandon him if he went with a more moderate running-mate.

While we await the main event, let's also note the report today that this RNC has fewer black delegates than any other in 40 years. There are exactly 36 black delegates in St. Paul, or 1.5 percent of the total - and a steep decline from the 167 blacks present in 2004. Guess how many black delegates there were at the Democratic National Convention last week? I'll post the answer in the comments.

Watch this before the big speech tonight. It's only one voice, but this man's testimony ought to lend credibility to the case against John McCain and his inexperienced running-mate. In U.S. history, one in three vice presidents has wound up becoming president.

We'll have an open thread up later this evening for McCain's acceptance speech. Meanwhile, here are some excerpts.